Jonathan, ministers laud Africa Magic awards

President Goodluck Jonathan has described the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) which held Saturday in Lagos as cultural liberation for Africa.

Jonathan, who was represented at the event by Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Allison-Madueke recalled that before the advent of Nollywood 20 years ago, Nigeria had relied on other countries for television and video dramas, but noted that the reverse is now the case.

Two other Ministers, Edem Duke of Culture and Tourism and Olusegun Aganga, Trade & Investment also graced the event.

Jonathan noted that following the independence of most African countries in the 60s and 70s, the first thing on the mind of African leaders was political liberation. He said they nurtured political unity through the Organisation of African Unity, now known as African Union (AU), and on the economic side, through Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

“Africa recognised the fact that irrespective of the artificial boundaries that separate us, our needs and aspirations had no borders, ” he said adding that celebrating African films through an awards scheme like the AMVCA was a cultural liberation of the continent from the western world.

Aganga who was full of praise for the award , analyzed the underlying economic potentials of the entertainment industry in the continent.

He noted that Africa is described everywhere today as the last frontier. “Why because every of the largest and fastest growing economy are in Africa – last frontiers because when you invest in an industry like this, your minimum return is 20 to 30 percent; so Africa today, is a testimony for high growth, high return and value,” he said.

Get more trends like this

Subscribe to our mailing list and get latest Nigeria trends in your inbox.